Show:
Dependent or Independent Clause?
Clause or Phrase?
Joining Dependent and Independent Clauses Correctly
Joining Phrases and Independent Clauses
Correctly
Is the Sentence Right or Wrong?
100
After the movie began
What is a dependent clause? It doesn't express a complete thought. What happened after the movie began?
100
in the table of contents
What is a phrase It has a subject (table of contents) but no verb. It's not doing anything.
100
Correct or Incorrect? Because the scary movies keep my little brother from sleeping, he is not allowed to watch them.
What is correct? Because the dependent clause (Because the scary movie keeps my little brother from sleeping) comes before the independent clause (he is not allowed to watch them), the two clauses are separated by a comma.
100
Correct or Incorrect? A fat cat sat under my car.
What is correct? The phrase "under my car" comes after the independent clause; therefore, no comma is required.
100
Right or wrong? Before I can help you, I need to understand what is going on.
What is right? The phrase at the beginning of the sentence is separated from the clause with a comma.
200
Because my Chromebook is gone
What is a dependent clause? This is an incomplete thought. What will happen because of the missing Chromebook?
200
a famous astronaut
What is a phrase? It has a subject (astronaut) but no verb. The astronaut isn't doing anything.
200
Correct or Incorrect? Emma didn't feel nervous about the test even though she had not studied for it.
What is correct? Because the independent clause (Emma didn't feel nervous) comes before the dependent clause (even though she had not studied for it), no comma is needed.
200
Correct or Incorrect? After the end of the play we stayed to talk to the actors.
What is incorrect? Since the phrase (after the end of the play) comes before the independent clause (we stayed to talk), there should be a comma between them. However, it is correct that there is no comma between the phrase "to the actors" and the independent clause since "to the actors" comes after it.
200
Right or wrong? You must memorize the first ten elements on the Periodic Table of Elements.
What is right? Since the phrase comes after the clause, no comma is needed.
300
I wasn't able to type my answers
What is an independent clause? This one expresses a complete thought.
300
the book was lost
What is a clause? This is a clause. It has a subject (book) and a verb (was). It happens to be an independent clause because it also expresses a complete thought.
300
Correct or Incorrect? I have a hard time adjusting to the new schedule, whenever we set the clocks back or forward.
What is incorrect? The independent clause (I have a hard time adjusting to the new schedule) comes before the dependent clause (whenever we set the clocks back or forward); therefore, the two clauses should not be separated by a comma.
300
At the beginning of the lesson I was very confused.
What is incorrect? "At the beginning of the lesson" is a phrase that comes before the independent clause (I was very confused"; therefore, they are separated by a comma.
300
Right or wrong? Chocolate cake, my favorite kind, is on sale at the bakery today.
What is right? The phrase interrupts the clause; therefore, it must be set off from the clause with a pair of commas.
400
James was late to work
What is an independent clause? This expresses a complete thought.
400
sobbing uncontrollably
What is a phrase? There is a verb (sobbing) but no subject. Who is sobbing?
400
Correct or Incorrect? Although I need my my glasses to see small print I can see things in the distance quite well.
What is incorrect? Since the dependent clause (Although I need my my glasses to see small print) comes first, it should be separated from the independent clause (I can see things in the distance quite well) with a comma.
400
correct or incorrect? She explained, in a very clear way, the terms that were confusing me.
What is correct? The phrase in this sentence (in a very clear way) interrupts the independent clause; therefore, the phrase is set off from the clause with commas.
400
Right or wrong? Are you going to your friend's house, after the game?
What is wrong? Do not use a comma when the phrase follows the clause.
500
because he forgot about the time change
What is a dependent clause? What happened as a result of forgetting about the time change?
500
since my little brother gets scared
What is a clause? There is subject (brother) and a verb (scared). This is a dependent clause since it does not express a complete thought.
500
Correct or Incorrect? Because we had been working since before dawn, I was tired by the middle of the afternoon.
What is correct? The dependent clause comes before the independent clause; therefore, the two clauses are separated by a comma.
500
correct or incorrect? The wind unusually strong today blew a tree down in my yard.
What is incorrect? The phrase "unusually strong today" interrupts the clause. Notice how much easier it is to understand the sentence when the commas are included: The wind, unusually strong today, blew a tree down in my yard.
500
At the beginning of the movie, Ebeneezer Scrooge, a famous fictional character is very much like my next door neighbor.
What is incorrect? The first phrase (at the beginning of the movie) is correctly followed by a comma because it comes before the clause (Ebeneezer Scrooge is very much like my next door neighbor. However this clause is interrupted by another phrase (a famous fictional character); phrases that interrupt clauses require a comma before and after the phrase. This sentence omits that should be after "character."